House of Approval #1

This isn’t just a zine it’s a whole package, complete with plastic fold-out conference-style holder, an introductory letter and a set of stickers. I guess the conference-esque presentation is relevant to the general ethos of the House of Approval, a pseudo-cult in which Hive Operator Alpha Dr. Shamash will make your life better through his collection of short stories. There is a history of how the ‘Hive’ of H.O.A began hidden amongst the pages so I will let you read about that episode yourselves.

I was handed this strange and intriguing pack at the Brighton Zine Fest earlier in the year and as a result have virtually no idea from where it came, but I can say that the little printed book with the blue cover contains some awesome stories within. Each is really short and accompanied by a title-illustration by a different artist, presumably all artists and writers are Hive members, I wouldn’t think anything else. The subjects covered are diverse and weird and wonderful, from a man with an antique typewriter instead of a mouth, a world-class piss artist who’s stripped of his skill when he starts to eat peanuts, a murderous plant, alien invasions and a machine that can transform anyone’s features into anyone elses and the effect it has on the film industry.

Really funny and beautifully printed and put together, this is a strange zine to say the least, but well worth it. See if you can join the House of Approval cult immediately and remember, they don’t judge; they approve.